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Topic: Powdered sugar question (Read 2446 times)

In the 08 MANN LAKE catalog on page 50 near the bottom of the page, it reads "(never to be confused with confectioner's sugar, i.e. powdered sugar donut, which can harm your bees). Is this true or just a sales gimmick for their "special" powdered sugar. If so, shame on you MANN LAKE!thanks

The powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) you buy at the store has corn starch in it to keep it from clumping. It's been said the the corn starch isn't good for the bees. My mentor recommended putting granulated sugar into a food processor an pulverizing it. That works, but you have to use it right away or it will form into one solid mass.

Yeah, you don't want to "feed" the bees powdered sugar, the starch will cause digestion problems. This won't hurt them in the summer when they can fly, but will cause dysentary in the winter when they are cooped up. Dusting is usually done when they can fly, and I don't consider this feeding since there is only a couple of cups of sugar per hive.

It depends on what they are marketing the sugar for...if it is sugar for syrup that is easier to dissolve then they are right on. If it is for dusting, then I'd say it was somewhat disingenuous.

The corn starch works as well as the powdered sugar in dislodging the mites so it is not a real factor when used as parasite control--so does flour and talc. If feeding then get the commercial confectiioners sugar. I do not recommend using flour or talc just pointing out (again) that any inert powder will work for mite control.

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